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Intro to Filmmaking
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 Re: Intro to Filmmaking
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Sat Jan 21st at 4:12am 2006

Hey everyone. I'm taking an introductory filmmaking class this semester, and I'm required to come up with material for several short films. I have a lot of creative freedom, as long as I follow some general guidelines.

My next film is due Wednesday January 25th, and I'll be shooting it Sunday January 22nd.

I wanted to know what you guys thought about what I have so far.

The assignment is a 2 minute video exercise in abridging time.

Here's my idea:

I remember hearing stories of 5 rich kids in Greenwich Connecticut going around robbing convenience stores for pure kicks (they were eventually arrested when one of the teenagers talked about it and the police set up a sting). So my video will be a 2 minute (maybe a little more) short film of an apparently well-off college student holding up a corner store. Here's the shot for shot as far as I have it right now.

Starts off black. You can hear a car turning over multiple times without starting. You hear a voice imploring for the car to start. When the engine finally revs we cut right to a shot of Alex as he sits in the drivers seat. It will be a fairly close shot, with the camera right near the windshield. He'll be wearing a polo or button down shirt, a light black fleece, a heavier overcoat, a scarf, and a black winter hat. He'll immediately look back as he starts to back out of the parking spot and drive out of the parking lot and merge into traffic.

The next shot will be him pulling into a convenience store parking lot, parking fairly far from the door. We cut to a shot of his hands on the steering wheel. I'll probably be lying on the hood to get the shot of his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel. I want his knuckles to be in focus, with everything else fuzzy. I'll shift the focus to his face. He'll clearly be steeling himself for something. He'll then quickly take off his scarf, and then pull down at the black winter hat, which turns out to be a black ski mask (the kind with holes for the eyes and mouth). At this point there will be a lot of quick jump cuts of him exiting the car with a small bag, and walking purposefully across the parking lot towards the convenience store doors. There will be perhaps three different half second shots of him walking (at different points in the lot getting closer) before he reaches the doors. As soon as he opens the door it will fade out to black. 2 or 3 seconds of black/slug will then abruptly be interrupted with a shot of him bursting through the convenience store doors, perhaps tripping, and ripping the mask off as he gets to the car. Cut to him trying to start the car, and having it turn over multiple times without starting. The shot perspective will be from the back seat (behind the passenger side) diagonally across with the convenience store visible through the windshield. After a few failed attempts to get the car to start and many panicked glances towards the store, he grabs the bag and runs. I'll end with a few shots of him sprinting through the more visually interesting areas in the city. I'll use the car as a dolly and keep up with him as he runs down streets and sidewalks.

I'm not entirely sure how it will end yet, but I'm considering having it just cutting to black and hearing him breathing heavy and the sound of his frantic running.

Getting the sound to work and getting permission to shoot are my two biggest concerns.

Overall, I'm really excited to shoot this on Sunday and spend the next few nights editing it all. Any thoughts?





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